Managing Your Stroke Medications

Taking many medications over the course of a day can be confusing. For medications to work they need to be taken at the right time and in the correct amount. Not taking your medicine or taking too much can be harmful; you might get sicker.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR MEDICATIONS

Understanding the benefits of your medications and why they are ordered to be taken at particular times can help you better remember to take them.

To better understand your medications ask your Healthcare Professional or Pharmacist the following questions:

What is the medicine’s name and what is it for?

When and how do I take this medicine?

What are the possible side effects?

When should I expect the medicine to start working?

Will the medicine interact with any of my other medicines?

Is it okay to take this medicine with my supplements (e.g., vitamins, omega-3, etc.)?

What should my medicine look like?

What do I do if I forget my dose?

What will happen if I stop taking this medicine altogether?

Besides time of day, is there anything else I should know about taking my meds (e.g., on a full stomach, with milk, etc.)?

Are there foods I need to avoid when taking this medicine?

STROKE RELATED MEDICATIONS

Stroke-Related Medications—following is information about some of the common medications that are prescribed following a stroke.

Drug Class

What They Do

Examples

Anticoagulants

Reduce the risk of blood clots and prevent existing blood clots from getting bigger by thinning the blood

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